The God Delusion

The first time I saw Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion I was a bit reluctant to pick it up. Not so long before I had read Michel Onfray's Traité sur l'Athéologie (in a Dutch translation), which bored me to death. The man basically bitches for 200 pages how bad the world, and more importantly, himself, has been treated by organized religion, while making a few shortcuts in his historic analysis. The book actually got on my nerves after about page 50. His rantings did not support my atheism in any way. In fact, the history of ideas within the great religions as depicted by Karen Armstrong in The Great Transformation has given my atheism a much better basis (although arguably this was not the author's intention). I saw Dawkins' book in several bookstores, and each time I was bit tempted, but the memory of Onfray's bitching steered my away from the counter. I finally decided that I did want to read it after seeing one of Dawkins' speeches (video). The man was not boring, he wasn't ranting. He was very scientific, witty, and entertaining. I've recently been on a holiday overseas. While we were waiting to board our plane, my girlfriend and I were wandering a bit throught the duty-free shops. On an impulse I bought The God Delusion.

The book's object is to analyse the god hypothesis as explanation for life, the universe, and everything from an evolutionary, scientific standpoint. Dawkins takes all the arguments believers generally make for religion and/or against the evolution theory, and deconstructs them one by one. All the things you kind of sense that are wrong with the religious myths are duly thought out and spelled out for you. If you ever needed some sources to back you up when you're trying to get a christian/muslim/whatever of your back, they're all there. Especially the part about morality was interesting. He argues that all our moral choices stem from a universal, human approach to morality (a sort of blueprint in your mind if you will) coupled with the current zeitgeist. This is also true for religious people, who justify the "right" morals for their time by picking and choosing the appropiate parts of their scriptures (instead of it being the other way around). This book is a perfect support for my atheism. The only part where it falls short on is the explanation about the "beginning" of it all. Science does not cover that aspect to date. Maybe one day it will. At least adherents of science dare to say that they don't have all the answers. Attributing this lack of knowledge to some god(s) however is just plain intellectual laziness.

As a conclusion, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It is to the point, well written (save the abuse of the sentence "have your consciousness lifted by Darwin" in the middle chapter), and build upon solid science. In general I don't discuss religion too much with people who are not interested in an intellectual discussion. And when I do I don't really try to prove religious people wrong. Since reading this book, I probably keep the same attitude, apart from one thing: I have lost a part of my cultural relativism. When parts of a culture/religion is wrong, people should be called out on that. Gay people are not the scum of the earth, hitting your wife is wrong in all circumstances, ...

Good Omens

Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman's Good Omens tells the story of the coming of the End Times. The Anti-Christ is born and soon the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Famine, War, Pollution (Pestilence retired in 1936 after the discovery of penicillin) and Death, will be here to start off the Great War between Heaven and Hell. The problem is that the Angel Aziraphale (who used to have a fiery sword of justified vengeance, but thosee humans looked so cold) and the demon Crowley (who hisses slightly when he talks and had something to do with an apple and a tree) like the Earth the way it is. So, these unlikely long-time friends try to stop it from happening. The child who they think is the Son of Satan, is however a normal human. Due to a mix-up at birth, involving babbling satanist nuns, the Anti-Christ ends up growing up as a relatively normal child in Lower Tadfield, England. And so the race against time begins ...

The book was written when Terry Pratchett's star was starting to rise and Neil Gaiman was working on the Sandman graphic novels. Since then, the book has acquired somewhat of a cult status. Luckily I didn't know all of this when I started reading it. I've been a fan of Pratchett's work since a friend of mine introduced me to the Colour of Magic while studying (ahem) at the university. I only knew Neil Gaiman by name (I had heard of Sandman and American Gods), but I think I will become a fan of his work as well. Although there are some typical Pratchettisms in there, it is most definitely not a Discworld novel. The book has its own pace and character. What is very clear is that the combination of styles works very well.

Good Omens makes fun of the way people act towards one another and the planet (and a little bit of religion). The ending is so wonderfully naïve as to give you hope. But, although the story in itself is very nice, the most interesting part is the depiction of the characters. The story betrays a deep insight into people's motivations, hopes and frustrations. Definitely a must read. And now, to the bookstore to buy American Gods and some more Discworlds.

Te of Piglet

The Te of Piglet (or Virtue of the Small) is the companion book to the Tao of Pooh. Once again A. A. Milne's characters are being used to illustrate principles from the Taoist philosophy. The elements he described in his previous book are explained in more detail: Owl is the epitome of knowledge without wisdom, Rabbit is the clever person who worries about appearances, Tigger represents impulsiveness without taking the time to do things right, and Eeyores are people who always complain instead of seeing the silver lining. Piglet is used as an example of the Virtue of the Small. He's A Very Tiny Animal who might not do great deeds, but he does come through in a pinch. He's portrayed as the only one of the 100 Acre Woods friends who evolves as a person. Instead of lamenting about his smallness, he does what needs to be done when necessary.

Benjamin Hoff's portrayal of Pooh and his friends starts of well enough. However, a few pages into every chapter he starts complaining about how the Western world (although he seems to equate the US with the West as a whole) is doing things wrong. Because of this, parts of the book feel as a petulant rant. At times he even comes off as bitter. This is in contrast with the ending, where he claims belief in the coming of an esoteric better world (very much like The Last Battle of Narnia and The Silmarillion) based on a back-to-nature philosophy in which all of nature lives in perfect harmony.

All in all I would suggest to read the Tao of Pooh (which is absolutely brilliant) and leave this one be. If you really want to read both, do so in one go. Don't leave too much time between them. This way, IMHO, it's easier to appreciate the good parts of the Te of Piglet while skipping the once that aren't really up to par.

Karen Armstrong's TED Prize Wish

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is as an annual conference which brings together a host of internationally renowned thinkers on a large range of topics. The idea is to spread ideas because the organizers "believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other." The best talks are distributed freely online.

The yearly TED Prize grants several prize winners' "One Wish to Change the World, by leveraging the help of their community. They receive monetary and organizational support for their work to be undertaken. Underneath you can find Karen Armstrong's wish.

Karen Armstrong has written 20 books about comparative religion. The main tenet of her argument is that all religions basically say the same thing by placing great importance on compassion. I've only read The Great Transformation up until now, but that book has got me hooked on her writing. In it she describes the historical roots, together with their history of ideas, of the main current religions. It's nothing short of an amazing piece of scholarship. The next two works on my list are The Bible: a biography and The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

(If the video loads too slow, here's the original page.)

Tao of Pooh

About a year and a half ago I saw the title of this book by a writer I had never heard about. But what a title: The Tao of Pooh. Cute, yet intriguing. Since then I wanted to buy it, but I never did. I already own enough books I still need to get through, and the few times I checked in the local English bookstore they would have had to order it so I didn't bother. Last week however I was showing the bookshop Sterling Books to a friend of mine, without the intent of buying anything, and the book was in. Naturally, I couldn't resist. And I'm very I glad I couldn't.

In the Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains the basic concepts of Taoism with the character of Winnie-the-Pooh as the perfect example of its principles in action. Pooh exemplifies the idea of the Uncarved Block, or P'u. "The essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed." Essentially it means that we should listen more to our Inner Nature and see things as they are instead of how we want them to be. This in contrast with Owl who lets his knowledge get in the way for the sake of keeping up an image of wisdom, Eeyore who lets it get in the way of enjoying life, and Rabbit who uses it to sound Clever. The other concept that is touched upon is that of Wu Wei, or Effortless Action (lit. non action or not doing). This means doing things in a natural way, knowing when to act and when not. The traditional metaphor is that of water flowing. A stream of water will not try to move a rock in its path, but will flow around.

As an introduction to Taoism this book is very nice. It explains all the basic concepts in an easy to read and understand way. Using the Pooh characters as metaphors works very well. It's easy to imagine Pooh as a practitioner of Wu Wei and seeing things for what they are in his simplicity. I'm almost convinced that A.A. Milne was a Taoist philosopher without realizing it. Moreover, my interest in Taoism is now aroused. I've always had this feeling that it's an interesting philosophy, but living in a Western society you never really get in touch with it. So, there is much more to find out. First, we'll read the follow-up though, The Te of Piglet.

Send me your stereotypes

The only things most people in the West know about the Arab world is what we hear on the news. Since the images we get are not all that positive it's easy to think in stereotypes. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan wants to open up a dialogue via her personal YouTube Channel. Until the 28th of August (World Youth Day) she'll be accepting questions about the Arab world, asking everyone to Send me your stereotypes. I'm curious about the result.

Turkish Islamic Reformation

Robert Piggott (BBC) tells us that "Turkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam - and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion. The country's powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran. "

The Hadith is a collection of oral traditions related to the acts and words of Muhammad. It is regarded as an important tool of interpreting the Koran and acts as a basis for the Sharia. Turkish scholars are now reinterpreting the texts in order to modernize the teachings to a modern society, based on the same spirit of logic on which islam is purported to be founded. Many of the prophet's words that are in the texts, were actually added later to serve the purposes of that time. Like the Bible, the Hadith knows many writers. The intention is to update the islamic religion by going back to its original roots and by reading what it says, not what the reader wants to read.

Bunnies are evil!

MEMRI has translated another episode of the Palestinian childrens TV show "Pioneers of Tomorrow". After having killed off our good friend Farfour, they needed a new mascotte. Now the show features the Hamas Bunny Assud, who urges the viewers to - wach out children, there comes a big word - boycott Danish goods and threatens to kill Danes over the Muhammad cartoons. Apparently, we westerners don't understand the mercy of the prophet, which of course means we should die. The Danes have published the cartoons because, get this, the muslims aren't faithful enough anymore nowadays. No, the Danes published those cartoons because we, in the west, have fought (against the christians) for the right to laugh with anything and everyone. By the way, here are the cartoons. They claim that the prophet is filled with mercy, yet they themselves profess hatred and violence. Here are some more big words children: contradictio in termines. And no children, becoming a martyr is not an ideal to live up to. It would not make you more of a hero, it would just make you more dead. Is it just me, or is there something seriously wrong with these people? If I were a moderate, sane muslim the makers of these kind of programs would fucking annoy me for making me look like a lunatic.

Conclusion: bunnies are evil!!!!:

MEMRI: bringing the Arab world closer to the West or US/Israeli propaganda?

For those of you who would like to get a glimpse of what is being talked about in the press of the Middle East the website of the Middle Eastern Media Research Institute (MEMRI) gives you that chance. "Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization." "MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."

On their site you can find written translations of selected newsitems and interviews, as well as subtitled fragments of television shows and newsreports (on MEMRITV). Besides this, analysis and special reports of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends are being offered. A division is provided so that you can browse by subject matter or country. Translations have been made in English, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish and Japanese. In addition, companion blogs have been created for more specific subjects: economy, Turkish media, Arab music, movies and literature, and a general news blog.

Next to the general media coverage, MEMRI also keeps an eye open for islamist extremists with the Islamist Websites Monitor Project. Along the same lines, but more in order to inform the public that not all muslisms are terrorist maniacs, and that those who are, interpret the Qu'ran only in a way that suits their political needs, Terrorism Has No Religion has put up a campaign. They want to "expose the fallacy of the distorted and politicized Islamic teachings used by ungodly extremists to sanctify and justify terrorism.It has become crucial to inform the Muslim and Arab people - particularly the Iraqi people - about the deceptions terrorists employ in distorting the peaceful teachings of Islam. These terrorists, who claim to follow the Islamic Faith, are in truth only drowning in an abyss of mistaken beliefs."

There has been some criticism on the institute. Some claim that in fact MEMRI is, in fact, mere propaganda, aimed at putting the Arab world in a bad light. Only newsitems that give Muslims a negative image are being shown and gross "mistakes" in translations are known to be made. An example of a distortion of reality can be found in the story of Mr. Finkelstein, an outspoken critic of Israeli policies and the U.S. pro-Israel lobby: "In 2006, he gave a TV interview in Lebanon on the way the Nazi Holocaust is used to silence critics of Israel. Finkelstein later wrote on his Web site: “MEMRI recently posted what it alleged was an interview I did with Lebanese television on the Nazi Holocaust. The MEMRI posting was designed to prove that I was a Holocaust denier.” Far from being a Holocaust denier, Finkelstein’s own parents were Holocaust survivors, a fact he has often spoken about. But MEMRI was able to create the opposite impression, as Finkelstein demonstrated on his Web site, by editing out large chunks of the actual interview. When some comments by the moderator were included, it appeared that Finkelstein’s interview was about nitpicking the number of Jews who died in the Holocaust rather than about Israel/Palestine."

More insight can be found in its founders: Yigal Carmon is a reserve colonel in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who served as acting head of the civil administration in the West Bank from 1977 to 1982, counterterrorism adviser to premiers Shamir and Menachem Begin from 1988 to 1993, and senior member of the Israeli delegation to peace negotiations with Syria in Madrid and Washington. Meyrav Wurmser, "an Israeli-born analyst of Mideast affairs, ... who has taught at Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Naval Academy, is a central figure in the right-wing's web of Middle East policy institutes."

All of the above has led critics to believe that MEMRI's sole object is to disseminate negative images of the Arab world, and provide a justification of the American and Israeli actions in the Middle East. In response to these allegations Carmon replied: "You are right: we do have an agenda. As an institute of research, we want MEMRI to present translations to people who wish to be informed on the ideas circulating in the Middle East. We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it." But, "Whatever the agenda, the research has to be scientific." "Memri has never claimed to 'represent the view of the Arabic media', but rather to reflect, through our translations, general trends which are widespread and topical."

I'll let you decide for yourselves what you think of this initiative. However it can not be denied that some of the ideas propagated by religious nuts in that area (and everywhere else in the world of course) are disconcerting (e.g. the children's show Pioneers of Tomorrow, don't indoctrinate kids, let them figure it out for themselves). I, for one, am glad that there exists a site like this, because I don't understand Arabic and at least part of the information on the Arab world that doesn't come from the regular media can be found there. Nonetheless, it is important to remain critical. There is a whole lot of internet out there, meaning it is a good thing not to base your opinion on only one source of information. Apart from CNN and BBC there are also the English version of Al-Jazeera, Middle-East Online and Arab Media (to state the obvious), and specifically for our subject: MEMRI Watch ("a small collective of translators and analysts who are bothered by the output of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) for various reasons. ... Our primary concern will be to highlight instances of mistranslation and doctoring, as well as address the wider strategy of MEMRI, which is in line with its unwritten agenda. Thus we aim to balance the discussion, rather than engaging in a full and balanced discussion.").

About women, this guy is right though ;-):

WBC fined $10.9 billion

A soldier's father didn't take kindly to the "protests" of the Phelpses at his sons' funeral. He took the Westboro Baptist Church to court. Naturally the WBC argued that they are protected by the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. The jury at the Baltimore courthouse thought otherwise and fined them with $10.9 billion. Since this is an amount the WBC will never be able to pay, it has more to do with sending a clear message than getting financial compensation for the mental anguish that they have caused. The WBC didn't get the message. They will appeal to a higher court and don't intend to give up. Luckily, the families of the fallen soldiers get some help from the Patriot Guard Riders, a loose collective of bikers which has taken it on itself to "shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors." In my opinion, the only sensible thing to do is to lock these maniacs up in a nature (or religious fanatics') reserve and charge visitors to go and look at them. Maybe throw some peanuts. Or to put it in other words: "Funeral Protesters may indeed have the right to free speech. They may indeed have the ability to say what they want, when they want and where they want. They may also be the most vile and despicable people on the face of the Earth...and some people have just had enough of it."

God Hates the World

As you all know, most of the different factions within the abrahamistic religions claim that their god is a peace-loving and forgiving type of dude. Well apparently those who have made this claim are wrong.

Before I get into this, let me tell you about the most hilarious fundies that can be found on the web: Westboro Baptist Church. They have a subtly titled website (godhatesfags.com) were they say the most outrageous things. Cracks me up every time. The reason for all this mirth is that they’re very serious about their retarded beliefs, and the only thing we can do is laugh.

Actually the things they do is no laughing matter and shows a great deal of disrespect for anyone who doesn’t agree with them. They believe that the last days are coming because the world is filled with sinners. More specifically, America is doomed because it allows homosexuality, ensuring the hatred of god. Before entering their site you are “warned” that there will be “Gospel Preaching Ahead”, together with a summary of their beliefs. In the FAQ of their site Pastor Phelps (the Westboro Big Kahuna) explains it as follows: "The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) of Topeka, Kansas, is an Old School (or, Primitive) Baptist Church. In short, we adhere to the teachings of the Bible, preach against all form of sin (e.g., fornication, adultery, sodomy), and insist that the doctrines of grace be taught publicly to all men. These doctrines of grace were well summed up by John Calvin in his 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. ... WBC engages in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth. We display large, colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments, including: GOD HATES FAGS, FAGS HATE GOD, AIDS CURES FAGS, THANK GOD FOR AIDS, FAGS BURN IN HELL, NO NOT MOCKED, FAGS ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE FAGS UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR FAGS, etc. Perceiving the modern militant homosexual movement to pose a clear and present danger to the survival of America, exposing our nation to the wrath of God as in 1898 B.C. at Sodom and Gomorrah, WBC has conducted some 20,000 such demonstrations during the last nine years at homosexual parades and other events (including funerals of impenitent sodomites, like Matthew Shepard). WBC teams have picketed major fag parades in San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., Miami, San Diego, Dallas, Orlando, Kansas City, etc. The unique picketing ministry of Westboro Baptist Church has received national attention, and WBC believes this gospel message to be America's last hope. ... [Homosexuality] is the sin that is at the forefront of the moral crisis in this nation. WE did not start the homosexual movement. WE did not put this movement on the front page of every major newspaper, in every phase of the entertainment industry, and in the schools. WE are not the ones insisting that this awful behavior serve as the basis for special legal rights. WE are not the ones marching up and down the streets demanding that people accept and respect us for our sins. This is the only sin to which America is seriously contemplating giving civil rights. Imagine if embezzlers, murderers or rapists demanded that they be given protection - not punishment - by law because of their wrongful deeds? You would gasp in amazement. Yet you embrace the notion that because someone engages in sex with a person of the same gender - and then chooses to broadcast that fact - they should be protected? Amazing! This sin is so insidious by its nature, and those who commit such things so abominable by their nature, that it serves as the litmus test for a society. When God has turned his back on a people, sodomites rule the land. America is on the cusp of that condition, and only by an abundance of mercy will God forebear the utter destruction of this country. That is why we focus on this issue in our ministry at this time in our journey on this Earth." As a result of not persecuting the “sodomites” the States is losing the war in Iraq (as opposed to giving false information, underestimating the enemy and safeguarding oil reserves). To make their point absolutely clear they picket funerals of soldiers, carrying banners with messages like “a soldier dies, god laughs”, “too late to pray” and “god hates your tears”; and reciting negative bible verses through a megaphone. It amazes me that none of them have gotten killed by the boy or girl’s parents. Needless to say nobody likes these people. From time to time though there are some Hell’s Angels who make sure they’re there as well. The Angels encircle the "Most Hated Family In America" with their bikes and try to drown out the disrespectful slogans.

Now, these guys are telling us that the supposition that god loves us all is wrong. They prove this in a dissertation, titled “God Loves Everyone” The Greatest Lie Ever Told – 701 Passages Proving God’s Hate & Wrath For Most of Mankind. It goes on for 94 pages that it is not once mentioned in the Bible that god loves everyone, and moreover that he killed and condemned to hell billions of people (which is listed in extenso), with an added list of 701 passages that tell us otherwise. It is in fact satan who has devised this creed. By believing this no one needs to heed the word of the lord, since we will be forgiven anyway.

I’m not really sure what the point of all this is. To me, it sounds more as propaganda against their beliefs. Who wants to live in fear and hate all his life? Well, apparently the Phelps Family does. Although they call themselves a church, they’re more or less only one big happy family (they even take their kids along in the madness). Poisoning your own clan isn’t enough though. That’s why they are on the internet, … abundantly. The God Hates Fags site couldn’t just be all by itself now could it? They do not only hate homosexuals, they also have a strong dislike for any country harbouring these “abominations against Christ”, and any other non-protestant religion. Here are some sister sites: God Hates America, America Is Doomed, God Hates Canada, God Hates Sweden (2 countries that are pretty hard to hate), The Sign Of The Times and Priests Rape Boys.

Maybe it's best to let them explain it themselves:



Here is Michael Moore’s take on the issue. Personally, I think Pastor Phelps has a problem of his own (something to do with repressed feelings). My suggestion to him is to seek help.

Some more fun with WBC:

Fred Phelps on "God's rage on America: